MANILA, Philippines – Within only 13 days from August 30 to September 12 this year, a total of 9,997 pigs have died or been culled due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

The biggest number according to OIE, comes from Asia with 8,196 notified losses, followed by Europe with 1,587 and Africa with only 214.

From these numbers, 7,952 were notified in the Philippines.

So far, the OIE said, 19 countries and territories notified new or ongoing outbreaks:

Europe

Bulgaria

Hungary

Latvia

Moldova

Poland

Romania

Russia

Serbia

Slovakia

Ukraine

Asia

China

Hong Kong

Laos

Myanmar

Philippines

Russia

South Korea

Vietnam

Africa

South Africa

Zimbabwe

During this period, 344 new outbreaks were notified, bringing the total of ongoing ASF outbreaks worldwide is now 8,239 with the biggest outbreak recorded in Vietnam at 6,083.

Though there is no recorded human transmission or effects of the pig disease, the OIE still encourages member countries to intensify national sanitary measures on waste disposal including those from passenger aircrafts and sea vessels as well as impose an enhanced on-farm biosecurity measures.

These include protection of pigs from untreated swill feeding that is common in the Philippines’ among backyard hog raisers.

The international agency also urges members to echo the importance of OIE international standards for risk management of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) to reduce the risk of exporting disease to trading partners.

According to www.pigprogress.net, a key source of information for pig and pork production industry in the world, the ASF virus is highly contagious and the infection spreads rapidly from pig to pig usually from infected discharges and feces as well as by the consumption of infected meat.

The disease is “extremely resistant to putrefaction and sunlight, and can persist in refrigerated meat and carcasses for up to 6 months and for much longer when frozen.”

But according to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), there is no shortage in the supply of pork and chicken.

BAI Officer-In-Charge Ronnie Domingo said traders may have been compelled to add the cost of transport to the market price of pork because they source them from areas not affected by African Swine Fever (ASF).

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will grant regulatory relief to banks and quasi banks (QBs) that sustained losses due to their clients being affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF) and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“We believe that the grant of regulatory and rediscounting relief measures is also applicable to financial institutions whose clients have suffered from adverse effects of these crises,” BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said.

The temporary regulatory relief includes grace periods for rediscounting loans, staggered booking of allowance for credit losses, non-imposition of penalties on legal reserve deficiencies, and non-recognition of certain defaulted accounts as past due.

Diokno said the BSP recognizes the potentially crippling impact of the said events on key industries, which include the tourism industry.

“The BSP’s initial assessment points to a potential dampening impact on the Philippine economy in the near term mainly through disruptions to tourism and associated services,” he said.

The House of Representatives is already tackling the issue on how to compensate for the tourism losses due to the implemented travel ban prompted by the COVID-19 threat.—AAC

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